Heating/cooking with supplements

Here's the situation --
I can't afford to eat much because I'm not active. Not uncommon for PWME, I imagine. Nevertheless, I need to take some meds/supplements with food 4 times a day.

I've got a good recipe for easy low calorie oat-based protein bars/muffins that I use as my food with meds twice a day. I'm now wondering if I could add some of my supplements in powdered form to the recipe. I'm willing to experiment with taste and texture, but I don't want to destroy the benefits of the supplements.

The recipe currently uses whey protein powder. I know that the heat will likely denature the proteins in that, so using undenatured protein powder would be pointless. (Correct me if I'm wrong). But otherwise, is it reasonable to use protein powder in cooking?

I recently added lecithin granules to the recipe. That worked well in terms of taste and texture, but have I ruined the benefits of taking lecithin by baking it?

I'd like to try adding my High ORAC Energy Greensto the recipe so that I don't have to drink the not-all-that-pleasant stuff, but again the question arises -- will baking it into the bars ruin it?

How about other supplements that come in powder form like calcium, magnesium, TMG, and many others? Ruined by heat or by mixing with other supplements?

Good question! When I saw the thread title I imagined building a fire with unused supplements and cooking over it--sometime I'd like to!

I do think there are real issues with heating supplements though I don't know which ones. Many people do things like mixing them with cold applesauce, yogurt etc. I have a mortar and pestle and sometimes grind up the large tablets and mix them in with foods like this.

I'd like to try adding my High ORAC Energy Greensto the recipe so that I don't have to drink the not-all-that-pleasant stuff, but again the question arises -- will baking it into the bars ruin it?

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Hi SOC - I've just started using a similar product (Amazing Grass's Green Superfood - the bigger-tub version of this) and they make a big deal about how it's dehydrated without raising it above a certain (fairly low) temperature so as not to wreck it, so I wouldn't advise cooking it. I've got the berry flavoured stuff and it's not unpleasant.

I have a phobia about swallowing tablets, particularly large ones, and I'm wondering if that's why you're wanting to bake this stuff in, rather than swallow it on its own. I've discovered that I can buy on Ebay empty gelatin capsules of a small size so that I can re-encapsulate stuff and knock it back with water. Other tablets I find I can swallow more easily if I chew up a mouthful of food first, insert the tablet, sort of bury it in the middle of the food with my tongue, and swallow the whole thing.

Hi SOC - I've just started using a similar product (Amazing Grass's Green Superfood - the bigger-tub version of this) and they make a big deal about how it's dehydrated without raising it above a certain (fairly low) temperature so as not to wreck it, so I wouldn't advise cooking it.

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I was afraid of that.

I stick with the High ORAC Energy Greens because it has beta-glucan mushrooms, adaptogens, and milk thistle and artichoke (for liver support). Otherwise I might try something more flavorful.

So, I either drink the stuff, which has a definite grassy-green gritty taste, or I take the pills (8 per day!) which is quite a bit more expensive. So baking the (less expensive) powder into chocolate protein bars seemed like an appealing alternative..... oh well....

I have a phobia about swallowing tablets, particularly large ones, and I'm wondering if that's why you're wanting to bake this stuff in, rather than swallow it on its own. I've discovered that I can buy on Ebay empty gelatin capsules of a small size so that I can re-encapsulate stuff and knock it back with water. Other tablets I find I can swallow more easily if I chew up a mouthful of food first, insert the tablet, sort of bury it in the middle of the food with my tongue, and swallow the whole thing.

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Fortunately, I've gotten used to downing gigantic pills. Valtrex, for example, is a real monster.

Nah, for me it's just that I'm tired of taking 30-40 pills a day and since I'm eating this protein bar anyway.....

I don't know about the whey, but it's fine to cook with lecithin granules. They are supposed to keep their nutrients when cooked. My nutritionist did say to avoid extremely high-heat methods, though, such as stir frying when cooking with lecithin. That could affect the nutrients.

I stick with the High ORAC Energy Greens because it has beta-glucan mushrooms, adaptogens, and milk thistle and artichoke (for liver support). Otherwise I might try something more flavorful.

So, I either drink the stuff, which has a definite grassy-green gritty taste, or I take the pills (8 per day!) which is quite a bit more expensive. So baking the (less expensive) powder into chocolate protein bars seemed like an appealing alternative..... oh well....

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Chocolate melts at 30 degrees - could you gently melt a bit of chocolate and mix it in?

Chocolate melts at 30 degrees - could you gently melt a bit of chocolate and mix it in?

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That's a thought. Or maybe some powdered cocoa. Truthfully, I've gotten used to drinking only water so any "flavored" drink is not very appealing....

The green drink tasted better when I was mixing the vanilla whey protein powder in the drink -- the creaminess and vanilla cut the grassiness, I think. However, I think I'm not tolerating that milk-based product well. I'm using it up in smaller servings in my protein bars and will switch to a different form of protein powder when this runs out.

Vitamins and herbal antioxidants will probably be destroyed or mostly inactivated by cooking. Protein powder, taken strictly for protein (not to boost glutathione) would be ok, I mean we cook steak but still get protein from it. Minerals might be OK, but they will likely form weird mineral compounds with the food. Generally speaking, cooking is a bad idea. Adding extra protein though is probably a good idea.

Essential fats should not be heated much though ... they are destroyed quite easily.

Vitamins and herbal antioxidants will probably be destroyed or mostly inactivated by cooking. Protein powder, taken strictly for protein (not to boost glutathione) would be ok, I mean we cook steak but still get protein from it. Minerals might be OK, but they will likely form weird mineral compounds with the food. Generally speaking, cooking is a bad idea. Adding extra protein though is probably a good idea.

Essential fats should not be heated much though ... they are destroyed quite easily.

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Well, blast and darn! That's what I was afraid of, but was hoping I was wrong. What would constitute essential fats? EPA and DHA?

Guess I'll just keep choking down the pills. At least they fill up my stomach so I'm not hungry.

If you do nuts, you could try doing a raw bar like a homemade Lara bar. Use a food processor to process some cashews and dates with the powder mixed in... probably would take some experimenting to see if it would be palatable without being too high calorie. I imagine the heat from the food processor wouldn't affect the mushrooms and greens too much, but not sure about the other stuff. If you google homemade Lara bar recipes, you can find lots of variations.

Minerals might be OK, but they will likely form weird mineral compounds with the food.

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Really? Maybe the compounds would be more absorbable, if so?

The minerals themselves will not change -- they were made inside suns billions of years ago. A little baking won't alter them .

I take my supps with foods that contain them -- iron with meat, magnesium with vegies, etc., in hopes of improving absorption. You might try cooking the same way. And no, I would not cook vitamins, probiotics, or EFAs.

Lecithin is commonly used in commercial baking, but I have no idea whether that alters its structure.

That's a thought. Or maybe some powdered cocoa. Truthfully, I've gotten used to drinking only water so any "flavored" drink is not very appealing....

The green drink tasted better when I was mixing the vanilla whey protein powder in the drink -- the creaminess and vanilla cut the grassiness, I think. However, I think I'm not tolerating that milk-based product well. I'm using it up in smaller servings in my protein bars and will switch to a different form of protein powder when this runs out.

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Come to think of it, green juices (ones with leafy greens or green veg such as broccoli) taste fine if they've got root ginger in - people also recommend lemon juice as a way to cut the bitterness. I've used both and find ginger the best - you can hardly taste the other stuff. I wonder if you could grate some root ginger and mix it in (with the melted chocolate as well!).

If you do nuts, you could try doing a raw bar like a homemade Lara bar. Use a food processor to process some cashews

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Much to my surprise, I've just discovered I'm allergic to cashews, which I've been eating for years. They give me eczema on my hands (I'd been wondering where that came from). Apparently they're very high up on the list of potential allergens. You might want to use another nut (in with your ginger and chocolate and all).